Diving Snorkel

ABSTRACT

A diving snorkel is used by divers for breathing and includes a top housing and a main tube. The main tube is a hollow tube with openings at two ends and has a partition piece extending outwards at one end. The top housing is sleeved on the main tube, thus the partition piece spaces the internal space of the top housing into a water-guide pipe and an air intake pipe. The water-guide pipe is used to discharge the water entering the top housing, so as to prevent the water from entering the main tube and obstructing the snorkel during the using process, so as to allow the air to enter the main tube though the air intake pipe of the top housing smoothly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a diving snorkel, and more particularlyto a diving snorkel with a water-proof function.

2. Related Art

Snorkels for swimming or snorkeling generally have a main tube for airventilation, in which the part of the main tube above the water surfacehas an air inlet for the entry of air and the part under water has amouthpiece for being hold by the diver with the mouth for breathing. Themain function of the snorkel is to allow the divers to breath underwater, such that how to make the air flow smoothly is the most importantfactor among the design considerations of the snorkel. However, when thediver swims or snorkels, the water always suddenly rises or splashes,especially when snorkeling in the sea. When the sea waves beat the airinlet of the snorkel, the seawater may enter the snorkel instantlythrough the air inlet and obstruct the pipe originally provided for theair to flow through, and thus directly affecting the breath of thediver. Once seawater enters the snorkel, the diver must bite themouthpiece and blow air through the mouthpiece arduously to expel theseawater out of the snorkel, which is really troublesome and bothers thediver.

In order to relieve the interference caused by the water rising orsplashing on the snorkel during swimming or snorkeling, many relevantdesigns of disposing a water-proof structure at the air inlet (top end)of the snorkel have been proposed in the industry, so as to prevent thewater from entering the snorkel when the sea waves beat or water rises.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,785 discloses a diving snorkel, whichhas a top wall disposed at the top and an inner pipe wall formedtherein. The inner pipe wall spaces the top portion of the snorkel intoa water-discharge pipe directly communicating an air inlet and an airintake pipe communicating one side of the water-discharge pipe, and thetop wall shields the air intake pipe at the top, so as to prevent thewater from directly entering the snorkel. Therefore, the water enteringthe air inlet by accident can be discharged through the water-dischargepipe, while the air can still enter the snorkel through the air inletand the air intake pipe. Furthermore, for example, U.S. Pat. No.6,622,722 discloses a water-proof device for a snorkel, in which anactive cover is disposed at the top of the snorkel and a baffle isformed therein. The baffle spaces the top portion of the snorkel into awater-discharge pipe directly communicating an air inlet and an airintake pipe communicating a side of the water-discharge pipe, and theactive cover shields the air intake pipe at the top, to prevent thewater from directly entering the snorkel. Therefore, the water enteringthe air inlet by accident can be discharged through the water-dischargepipe, while the air can still enter the snorkel through the air inletand the air intake pipe. Although U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,280,785 and 6,622,722have certain water-proof effects, when considering in terms ofproduction, it may be found that the compartment structure within thepipe is difficult to be manufactured. Most of the snorkels aremanufactured through plastic injection molding process. However, theinner pipe wall (or baffle) of the anti-wave head in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,280,785 and 6,622,722 is directly formed in the snorkel and connectedto the pipe walls at two sides, which inevitably interferes with themold for the injection molding process, and as a result, the difficultyin mold design is further increased.

Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,057 also provides a splash protectorfor a snorkel, in which a water-proof structure (top housing) is dividedinto two parts for being assembled at the top of the snorkel, so as toprevent the water from directly entering the snorkel. However, the tophousing design of U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,057 still has a structure directlyformed in the snorkel and connecting the pipe walls at two sides. As thenumber of parts is increased, not only the manufacturing process of theplastic injection becomes even difficult, but the manpower and workinghours are also increased. Furthermore, for example, U.S. Pat. No.6,994,085 provides a splash protector of a snorkel, in which a tophousing has a cover disposed thereon and a floating means with a largebuoyancy is assembled at an air inlet, such that the air inlet may becovered in time due to the principle of buoyancy, so as to prevent thewater from entering the snorkel when water rises. However, the tophousing in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,085 is formed by a large number of partswith complex structures, which is difficult for being manufactured andhas complex assembling processes, and as a result, much manpower isinevitably wasted and the manufacturing cost is increased, which thus isnot suitable for mass production.

Furthermore, in Taiwan Patent Publication No. 511622 and No. 573667,relevant techniques of diving snorkel are provided. Patent No. 511622relates to an improvement of a snorkel, which has a main tube and a tophousing. The top end of the main tube is above the water surface and issleeved on the top end of the main tube. The main tube has a coveropened backwards at the top, and the cover has a notch facing forwardsformed in the front. The top end of the top housing is inclinedly cutinto a rear air inlet, such that the air may enter the main tube throughthe rear air inlet and the notch. The top end of the top housinginclines downwards and has a top cover extending outwards and an outercover connected thereto. The outer cover bends downwards from the topcover and inclines forwards, such that an opening is formed between theouter cover and the front peripheral surface of the top housing. A frontair inlet is formed between the opening and the notch of the main tube,such that the water can be discharged out of the top housing through thefront air inlet and the opening. Patent No. 573667 relates to awater-proof structure of a diving snorkel, which has a top housingdisposed at the top of a snorkel. The snorkel has an air port at the topend, a socket at the back side, and a water-discharge outlet at theventral side. The top housing has an oblique-flow board transverselydisposed thereon corresponding to a socket of the snorkel. The obliquityof the oblique-flow board is just equal to the elevation angle from thesocket to the water-discharge outlet. The top housing is sleeved on thetop of the snorkel, and the oblique-flow board is inserted in thesocket. The inner wall of the top housing guides the seawater to thewater-discharge outlet for being discharged, and the seawaterpenetrating through the air port can be guided by the oblique-flow boardto the water-discharge outlet for being discharged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Although a diving snorkel with a top housing (a water-proof structure)in the prior art is capable of overcoming the influences of water surgesor splashes, there are still various problems in the production.Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a diving snorkel toprevent water from entering and obstructing the snorkel during divingand to solve the problem that the snorkel is not easily produced andassembled.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a diving snorkel for discharging water entering the snorkel byaccident. The diving snorkel includes a top housing and a main tube. Thetop housing is a hollow tube with two open ends and has a first openingand a baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end. Thebaffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the firstopening, such that the baffle is outside the top housing and shields apart of the first opening. The main tube is a hollow tube with two openends, in which one end is a connection end, and the other end is abreathing end. The connection end of the main tube has an outer diametersmaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, and thus the maintube may enter the second opening of the top housing with the connectionend, Thus, the connection end of the main tube can being fixed withinthe top housing and correspond to the baffle and. After the main tubeenters the top housing, a tube wall of the main tube spaces the internalspace of the top housing into a water-guide pipe communicating the firstopening with the second opening and an air intake pipe communicating thefirst opening with the main tube. Therefore, the air entering the tophousing through the first opening may enter the breathing end of themain tube smoothly, such that most of the water entering the top housingthrough the first opening is guided to the second opening by the baffleand the water-guide pipe, to be discharged out of the top housing.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the connection end ofthe main tube has a partition piece extending outwards and entering thetop housing through the second opening, so as to space the internalspace of the top housing into the water-guide pipe and the air intakepipe. The air intake pipe communicates the first opening with the maintube in the interior of the top housing, such that the air entering thetop housing through the first opening may smoothly enter the main tubethrough the air intake pipe. On the other hand, the top housing may bemade of, but not limited to, a plastic injection molding material, andhas two rabbets on the inner wall for fitting with the partition piece.The edge of the partition piece for the main tube is inserted into therabbets. That is to say, the top housing is sleeved on the main tube bythe rabbets, and thus the top housing is fixed at the connection end ofthe main tube.

The efficacy of the present invention lies in that, the main tube spacesthe internal space of the top housing into an air intake pipe for airaccess and a water-guide pipe for water discharge, and thus effectivelydischarging the water entering the top housing due to water surges, soas to prevent the main tube from being obstructed by water. Furthermore,the partition piece is directly formed at the end edge of the main tubethrough a simple plastic injection molding process. The partition piececan be directly assembled with the top housing by means of beinginserted therein, and thus the diving snorkel can be easily assembled,thereby reducing the manpower and the manufacturing cost.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given herein below for illustration only, whichthus is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a diving snorkel according toa first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a top housing and a main tubeaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the top housing according tothe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the top housing according tothe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the top housing according to the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is back view of the top housing according to the first embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top housing accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a diving snorkelaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkelaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a top housing and a main tubeaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top housing accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkelaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkelaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to make the object, structure, features, and functions of thepresent invention be more comprehensible, the following embodiments aredescribed below in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a diving snorkel according to a firstembodiment of the present invention is shown. The diving snorkel isprovided for divers to breathe under water surface when enjoying watersports, for example, snorkeling and swimming, and capable of dischargingthe water entering the snorkel by accident. The diving snorkel in thisembodiment includes a main tube 10 and a top housing 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the main tube 10 is a hollow tube withtwo open ends, which may be, but not limited to, a flexible slender andbending plastic tube, and has an approximately-round cross section. Oneend of the main tube 10 is a connection end 11, and the other end is abreathing end 12. The connection end 11 has an opening 111, a partitionpiece 14, and an annular groove 16. The partition piece 14 extends froman edge of the opening 111 for the main tube 10, and has an arc-shapedcross section matching with the tube wall of the main tube 10. Theannular groove 16 is opened from the inner wall surface towards theouter wall of the main tube 10 and it is spaced apart from the opening111 by a certain distance. The breathing end 12 has a mouthpiece 13.When the diver keeps the mouthpiece 13 in his/her mouth to inhale air,the air enters the main tube 10 through the opening 111 and then flowsto the breathing end 12 and enters the mouthpiece 13. The partitionpiece 14 has a stopper 141 on the outer surface. The stopper 141 takes astep-like shape and has a wide section and a narrow section. Thethickness of the stopper 141 is gradually increased from the widesection to the narrow section (from the front end of the partition piece14 to the main tube 10), so as to form a bump inclined against thepartition piece 14.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the top housing 20 is a hollowtube with two open ends, and may be made of, but not limited to, aplastic injection molding material. An inner diameter of the pipe wallfor the top housing 20 is greater than the outer diameter of the tubewall for the main tube 10, in other words, the outer diameter of thetube wall for the main tube 10 is smaller than an inner wall of the pipewall for the top housing 20. The top housing 20 has a first opening 21,a baffle 211, a water-guide plate 212, a second opening 22, and aconnection pipe 23. The first opening 21, the baffle 211, and thewater-guide plate 212 are formed at one end of the top housing 20, andthe water-guide plate 212, the second opening 22, and the connectionpipe 23 are formed on the other end of the top housing 20. The baffle211 is tongue-shaped and extends outwards from an end edge of the tophousing 20 towards the first opening 21, and thus being located at anedge of one side of the first opening 21. The baffle 211 is disposedcorresponding to the opening 111 of the main tube 10 and shields a smallpart of the opening 111. The water-guide plate 212 has an approximatelyU-shaped cross section and extends outwards from an end edge of the tophousing 20, and thus being located at an edge of the other side of thefirst opening 21. The water-guide plate 212 faces the baffle 211, andthere is a height gap between them. That is, in the same extendingdirection, the length for the water-guide plate 212 to extend from thetop housing 20 is greater than the length for the baffle 211 to extendfrom the top housing 20. The connection pipe 23 extends outwards from anedge of the second opening 22, and an outer diameter of the pipe wallfor the connection pipe 23 is slightly smaller than an inner diameter ofthe pipe wall for the main tube 10, such that the connection end 11 ofthe main tube 10 allows the connection pipe 23 to be inserted therein.The connection pipe 23 has a flange 231 corresponding to the annulargroove 16 of the main tube 10 at the outer wall. The flange 231 is usedto be embedded in the annular groove 16 of the main tube 10 when theconnection pipe 23 is inserted into the main tube 10, so as to positionthe connection pipe 23 in the main tube 10, and thus fixing the maintube 10 at the second opening 22 of the top housing 20.

The top housing 20 has four protruded vanes 24 extending outwards fromthe inner wall, which are configured into two parallel groups facingeach other. The top housing 20 has two opposite rabbets 241 formed onthe inner wall. Each protruded vane 24 and the inner wall of the tophousing 20 are configured into a step-like shape, such that the intervalfor the two protruded vanes 24 has a wide section and a narrow section,so as to match with the stopper 141 that is wide in the front and narrowin the rear on the partition piece 14. The edge of the partition piece14 for the main tube 10 is inserted into each rabbet 241. The widesection of the stopper 141 is embedded between the two protruded vanes24 and fastened at the bottom of the wide section between two protrudedvanes 24, and thus the top housing 20 is firmly fixed at the connectionend 11 of the main tube 10. The partition piece 14 of the main tube 10is inserted into the top housing 20, so as to space the internal spaceof the top housing 20 into an air intake pipe 25 and a water-guide pipe26. The air intake pipe 25 communicates the first opening 21 and themain tube 10 in the interior of the top housing 20 and corresponds tothe baffle 211 and the connection pipe 23, such that the air enteringthe top housing 20 through the first opening 21 may flow into theconnection pipe 23 through the air intake pipe 25 and then enter themain tube 10. The water-guide pipe 26 communicates the first opening 21with the second opening 22 in the interior of the top housing 20 andcorresponds to the water-guide plate 212, such that most of the waterentering the top housing 20 through the first opening 21 may flow intothe second opening 22 through the water-guide pipe 26 and thendischarged out of the top housing 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 7, 8A, and 8B, when assembling the diving snorkelof the present invention, the partition piece 14 and the opening 111 ofthe main tube 10 are respectively aligned with the rabbets 241 and theconnection pipe 23 of the top housing 20; next, the partition piece 14and the connection pipe 23 are respectively inserted into the rabbets241 and the opening 111 till the flange 231 of the connection pipe 23 isembedded into the annular groove 16 of the main tube 10, so as to fixthe top housing 20 at the connection end 11 of the main tube 10. In sucha manner, the top housing 20 and the main tube 10 are easily assembledinto the diving snorkel of the present invention.

When the diver uses the diving snorkel of the present invention underwater, he/she needs to keep the mouthpiece 13 of the main tube 10 inhis/her mouth to breathe and keep the top housing 20 above the watersurface. The diver often encounters sudden water rising or splashingwhen enjoying water sports, for example, snorkeling and swimming, seawaves may beat the diving snorkel and the seawater may enter the tophousing 20 through the first opening 21. At this time, as the baffle 211of the top housing 20 shields the air intake pipe 25 at the firstopening 21, most of the water cannot directly enter the main tube 10,but be guided into the water-guide pipe 26 by the baffle 211. On theother hand, the water-guide plate 212 of the top housing 20 also blocksthe water beating the top housing 20, and guides the water entering thefirst opening 21 into the water-guide pipe 26, and then the water may bedischarged out of the top housing 20 through the second opening 22.Therefore, most of the water entering the top housing 20 through thefirst opening 21 is discharged out of the top housing 20 through thewater-guide pipe 26, instead of directly flowing into the main tube 10to cause obstruction. In such a manner, after the seawater beats the tophousing 20, the air above the water surface can still enter thebreathing end 13 of the main tube 10 smoothly through the air intakepipe 25, so as to be supplied to the diver for breathing.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11A, and 11B, a diving snorkel according to asecond embodiment of the present invention is shown, and the mainstructure and purpose are substantially the same as that in the firstembodiment of the present invention. The difference between the divingsnorkel of the second embodiment with that of the first embodiment liesin that, the top housing 20 has two opposite fixing pieces 27 on theinner wall, and the connection end 12 of the main tube 10 has anair-intake top pipe 15 extending outwards. An outer diameter of the pipewall for the air-intake top pipe 15 is slightly smaller than the regionsurrounded by the two fixing pieces 27 and the pipe wall of the tophousing 20. The air-intake top pipe 15 of the connection end 11 for themain tube 10 enters the second opening 22 of the top housing 20 andcorresponds to the baffle 211, so that the top housing 20 is spaced intoa water-guide pipe 26 communicating the first opening 21 and the secondopening 22 by the pipe wall of the air-intake top pipe 15. Meanwhile,when the connection end 11 of the main tube 10 is inserted into the tophousing 20, the fixing pieces 27 and the pipe wall of the top housing 20tightly clamp the air-intake top pipe 15 of the main tube 10, so as tofix the top housing 20 at the connection end 11 of the main tube 10.

In the diving snorkel of the present invention, the main tube 10 spacesthe internal space of the top housing 20 into an air intake pipe 25 forair access and a water-guide pipe 26 for water discharge, and thuseffectively discharging the water entering the top housing 20 due towater surges, so as to prevent the main tube 10 from being obstructed bywater. Furthermore, the partition piece 14 is directly formed at the endedge of the main tube 10, such that the top housing 20 and the main tube10 may be fabricated through a simple plastic injection molding process.The partition piece 14 can be directly assembled with the top housing 20by means of being inserted therein, and thus the diving snorkel can beeasily assembled, thereby reducing the manpower and the manufacturingcost.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A diving snorkel, comprising: a top housing, being a hollow tube withtwo open ends, having a first opening and a baffle at one end and asecond opening at the other end, wherein the baffle extends from an endedge of the top housing towards the first opening; and a main tube,being a hollow tube with two open ends, having an outer diameter smallerthan an inner diameter of the top housing, wherein one end of the maintube is a connection end, and the other end is a breathing end; the maintube enters the second opening of the top housing with the connectionend corresponding to the baffle, such that a tube wall of the main tubespaces the top housing into a water-guide pipe communicating the firstopening with the second opening.
 2. The diving snorkel as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the top housing comprises a water-guide plate,extending outwards from an end edge of the top housing, located at oneside of the first opening, and facing the baffle.
 3. The diving snorkelas claimed in claim 2, wherein a height gap exists between thewater-guide plate and the baffle.
 4. The diving snorkel as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the top housing has two opposite fixing pieces on aninner pipe wall, the fixing pieces are used to clamp the main tubetogether with the pipe wall of the top housing, so as to fix the tophousing at the connection end of the main tube.
 5. The diving snorkel asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the main tube is a flexible plastic tube. 6.The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main tube has amouthpiece at the breathing end for breathing in or out the air.
 7. Adiving snorkel, comprising: a top housing, being a hollow tube with twoopen ends, having a first opening and a baffle at one end and a secondopening at the other end, wherein the baffle extends from an end edge ofthe top housing towards the first opening; and a main tube, being ahollow tube with two open ends, having an outer diameter smaller than aninner diameter of the top housing, wherein one end of the main tube is aconnection end, and the other end is a breathing end; the main tube hasthe connection end being fixed at the second opening of the top housingand has a partition piece extending outwards and entering the tophousing, so as to space the top housing into a water-guide pipe and anair intake pipe corresponding to the baffle, and the water-guide pipecommunicates the first opening with the second opening and the airintake pipe communicates the first opening with the main tube.
 8. Thediving snorkel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top housing has twoopposite rabbets on an inner wall, and an edge of the partition piece ofthe main tube is inserted into the rabbets, so as to fix the top housingat the connection end of the main tube.
 9. The diving snorkel as claimedin claim 7, wherein the top housing has a connection pipe, extendingoutwards from an edge of the second opening, communicating with the airintake pipe, and inserted into the connection end of the main tube. 10.The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connection pipehas a flange on an outer wall, the main tube has an annular grooveopened on the inner wall, and the flange is embedded into the annulargroove, so as to position the connection pipe.
 11. The diving snorkel asclaimed in claim 7, wherein the top housing comprises a water-guideplate, extending outwards from an end edge of the top housing, locatedat one side of the first opening, and facing the baffle.
 12. The divingsnorkel as claimed in claim 11, wherein a height gap exists between thewater-guide plate and the baffle.
 13. The diving snorkel as claimed inclaim 7, wherein the main tube is a flexible plastic tube.
 14. A divingsnorkel, comprising a top housing and a main tube, wherein the tophousing is a hollow tube with two open ends and has a first opening anda baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end, and thebaffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the firstopening; the main tube is a hollow tube with two open ends and has anouter diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, oneend of the main tube is a connection end and the other end is abreathing end, and the connection end of the main tube is fixed at thesecond opening of the top housing, wherein the connection end of themain tube has a partition piece extending outwards and entering the tophousing, so as to space the top housing into a water-guide pipe and anair intake pipe corresponding to the baffle, and the water-guide pipecommunicates the first opening with the second opening and the airintake pipe communicates the first opening with the main tube.
 15. Thediving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing has twoopposite rabbets on an inner wall, and an edge of the partition piece ofthe main tube is inserted into the rabbets, so as to fix the top housingat the connection end of the main tube.
 16. The diving snorkel asclaimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing has a connection pipe,extending outwards from an edge of the second opening, communicatingwith the air intake pipe, and inserted into the connection end of themain tube.
 17. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 16, wherein theconnection pipe has a flange on an outer wall, and the main tube has anannular groove opened on the inner wall, and the flange is embedded intothe annular groove, so as to position the connection pipe.
 18. Thediving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing comprisesa water-guide plate, extending outwards from an end edge of the tophousing, located at one side of the first opening, and facing thebaffle.
 19. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 18, wherein a heightgap exists between the water-guide plate and the baffle.
 20. The divingsnorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the main tube is a flexibleplastic tube.